1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an elevator, particularly, an elevator equipped with a duct for tail cord.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a conventional “outdoor” type elevator in part. This elevator 100 includes a passenger car 101 moving up and down in an elevating space surrounded by no elevating wall. In the vicinity of the elevating space, there is a tail-cord duct 103 that is formed to extend along the elevating space. The tail-cord duct 103 is surrounded, in its circumference, by a wall part 102. Further, the tail-cord duct 103 is provided with an opening 104 that opens to the elevating space.
An arm part 105 is fixed to the passenger car 101 so as to project into the tail-cord duct 103 through the opening 104. A tail cord 106 introduced from the passenger car 101 is suspended from the leading end of the arm part 105 into the tail-cord duct 103. The other side of the tail cord 106 suspended above is slung up in the tail-cord duct 103. Thus, the other end of the tail cord 106 is connected to an appropriate element, for example, a control panel (not shown) in a machine room (also not shown). In this way, the tail cord 106 is accommodated in the tail-cord duct 103 while being hung therein in a substantial U-shaped manner.
Additionally, a governor rope 107 for emergency stop is arranged at the opening 104 so as to be movable with the elevating movement of the passenger car 101.
In the above-mentioned structure of the elevator 100, when the passenger car 101 moves up and down, one side (free end) of the tail cord 106 moves up and down together with the passenger car 101. Corresponding to the vertical position of the passenger car 101 in the elevating space (not shown), the tail cord 106 changes its lowermost position while maintaining the electrical connection between the passenger car 101 and the control panel (not shown). Similarly, when the passenger car 101 moves up and down, the governor rope 107 also moves correspondingly. If the moving speed of the governor rope 107 exceeds a predetermined speed, then it is carried out to stop the moving of the governor rope 107 to make an emergency stop of the passenger car 101.
Meanwhile, it is noted that the above-mentioned elevating space of the “outdoor” type elevator is not surrounded by an elevating wall because of its open-air arrangement. Therefore, an ambient wind enters into the tail-cord duct 103 through the opening 104, so that an air current occurs in the duct 103 with various flowing directions. Under such a situation, if the air current flows out of the tail-cord duct 103 through the opening 104, the tail cord 103 may project out of the interior of the duct 103 through the opening 104 under the influence of the air current flowing in such a direction.
Such an undesirable phenomenon will be described below, in detail.
Namely, it is noted in the conventional “outdoor” type elevator 100 that the straight arm part 105 is inserted into the tail-cord duct 103 through the opening 104 and the tail cord 106 is suspended from the leading end of the arm part 105. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2, part of the tail cord 106, which extends from its one end from the U-shaped lowermost part, is arranged within an area corresponding to the opening 104, in other words, in a position allowing the tail cord 106 to be visible from the side of the elevating space through the opening 104. Due to such a relationship in position between the tail cord 106 and the opening 104, if a current is produced flowing from the opening 104 to the outside, it is feared that the tail cord 106 projects from the opening 104 as shown with chain double-dashed line of FIG. 1. Again noted it is undesirable that the tail cord 106 projects from the tail-cord duct 103, in view of avoiding operational troubles of the elevator 100.
Additionally, the governor rope 107 at the opening 104 oscillates under the influence of the air current flowing out through the opening 104, as shown with arrows of FIG. 1. When the governor rope 107 collides with the end face of the opening 104 due to the above oscillation, there arises a problem of causing abnormal noise.